What Didn't You Buy That You Now Wish You Would Have?

3rd Rail made some Pennsy P54 commuter cars a few years ago.  I think that they were in brass.

I passed for some reason.  I was immediately sorry.  I would have like to have three to run with my G5.

 

Norm

I did buy a number of the long K-Line aluminum RPO's when they were being dumped...

BUT dummy passed up others....bad dummy!  As for others, it's a long list, so how

much time you got?

Art,

A.  Add me to the K-Line Passenger cars also. 

 

B.  Quit bidding on two 3rd Rail locomotives at auction, both NIB.  Months later I paid almost twice the auction price for each...and in worst condition...

 

I've had the opposite happen-passed on an item, rewarded later with a lower price and in better condition.  Many times, it's been C10/sealed in box at half the MSRP.

 

Things have a way of working themselves out!

 

C.  Apple and Google stock...enough said.

Hello Art, another great question:

 

I can think of a few things that I would have liked and still do look for.

ROSS:    Switches/Turnouts instead of the Lionel and K-line switches for my Post-war inspired layout.

Lionel:   Hindenburger Café.

GGD:     The full set of the 1951 Santa Fe Super Chief, I could only afford half the set at the time.

K-line:   C&NW Bi-Level  coaches and the Streamliner “400” cars.

 

Charlie

I wish I bought the Lionel Milwaukee Road 261 at the end of 2011. What a great engine to miss out on...especialy at the $850 it was going for!

 

Also missed on the K-Line Hudson at blowout prices.

My list is short:

• Weaver ATSF zebra stripe Baldwin VO-1000
• Atlas ATSF zebra stripe SW9
• Golden Gate heavyweight Pullmans and dining car.

Shares of Berkshire-Hathaway at $400 while I was working for an institutional investment manager around 1986. I was growing my family, buying a new house and thinking very short term. DuPont shares were around $80. I thought that was a lot.

 

Oh sorry, we are talking trains.

MTH TH&B GP 7 power and dummy unit................Paul

3rd Rail FTs - dealer screw up

Vision Line Challenger - didnt think I wanted it

When the ATSF 3000 was catalogued, I passed it up. I kicked myself for not getting it after the fact. This ate at me for a long time, so we fixed the problem and got one.

 

This is just a tad of the title, but it serves as important lesson. If you see something you really like and you can afford it, don't pass it up.

Nothing on that list! I have found that if one looks hard enough on the secondary market, things will pop up sooner or later.

 

Simon

my list would be heavily k-line.  k-line was perfect for me because the price range was right for a teenager (I'm 25 now), and they usually made items like passenger cars in multiple sizes so I could get the smaller sizes for my 4x8 layout while still having the quality they offer in larger sizes.  also for engines they usually offered both a conventional and command version which was great because, despite being an aerospace engineer, I like the ease of working with conventional.

 

I have the "15 broadway limited Madison set, so wish I had picked up the 2 car add-on set which included the baggage car and pershing square Pullman.  hard to find now, and when they do show up, the asking price is about what I paid for the original set of 4.

 

would have loved the empire state express they put out.  think it was in one of the last catalogs before they became k-line by lionel, so now those that do show up go for big bucks and the other companies that make them are usually full scale and command, so they wont work for my layout.

 

the other main item would be something I posted about before.  my father and I sold a lionel postwar collection when I was maybe 10 for a friend of a family member.  it was offered to us for $2000, but we couldn't really swing it at the time and we just didn't know.  the first engine we sold had a super rare master carton so just that first auction ended up going for over $4000.  would have liked to have kept some of those items for myself as well

this. from Lionel

I always think through my purchases in terms of … do I really want it or is there something better out there I would really like to have…maybe I should wait to see what is in the next catalog!  Or maybe I can get this at better price somewhere else!  Does that sound familiar to anyone?  I can’t tell you how many times I have had mind battles in purchasing something or not.

 

Well today, I regret the following…

 

Last year I had chance to pick up a Weaver Brass Southern Tennessean 4-6-2 Pacific at reasonable price.  There was only 200-300 of these engines made.  They are hard to find at a good price and in good condition.  The withdraw back for me with this engine is it has QSI so the electronics would need to be upgraded.

 

Also, I regret not getting Lionel Legacy Milwaukee Road F7’s from 2012 catalog.  I have not seen these posted for sale anywhere. 

 

However, I am making up for one of regrets today by repurchasing an engine.  I purchased Lionel SD70ACe Southern Heritage unit two years ago that I really liked.  It had multiple problems so I returned it for a refund because I was tired returning engines to be fixed.  Hopefully, I don’t regret re-buying this engine!      

Ken - When you mentioned the Milwaukee Road F-7's it made me think about not getting an Atlas Milwaukee Road switcher.  I haven't seen any come up for sale.  I have just had to be satisfied running my friend Don's two-rail version at his operating sessions.

 

Art

Ditto.   And maybe the Lionel ethanol tank cars with freight sounds.

Apple at $10.00...

 

Jerry

The last nkp berk... Really should of bought one

I had found some scenic items from the 1950s for less than $50 each. Now, the only ones found are above $175.

All things N&W in the 2006 Weaver catalog

 

A whole bunch of Lionel F3 locomotives in real nice shape at fifty bucks each back in the

1980's.

All the best,

Miketg

Art, I now have all the pieces I want, but I probably paid too much for some of them. Specific examples are Lionel's Milwaukee Road 261 and those K-line 21" passenger cars to go with it. Those were released during what I have come to call my "dark years" when I wasn't active in the hobby.

I regret not buying the following:

• A couple of SD45-T2's - SP and Cotton Belt Bicentennial.
• Despite their generic nature, a set of K-Line full-scale CNW passenger cars
• K-Line Amtrak California Bi-level Commuter cars. They did them correctly rather than just repainting a regular Superliner.

Vision Line 700E...

 

I know eventually I'll get one on the secondary market...No rush now.

The MRS. says  I  have all the trains I need. There will be no more spending money on  trains. So all missed opportunities will have to wait....

 

So the Legacy AC -12  cab forward I should have next week!

Hydrocal buildings & structures by Trainy Day Hobbies.  I bought two and they are very nice - weathered, very detailed, lights.  When I went to order more about two months later,  Trainy Day Hobbies was out of business!  No leftover stock either.  

Tom B

I too wish I would have bought the Vision ES44AC, in all its iterations.    But I would have just sold them for the profit... it's not like I wanted to run them.

 

I do wish I had bought the MTH Heritage SP & WP - but I suspect they will re-issue them in PS3 in the next few years.  I want those to keep and run.

Art,

   When the Legacy Northern Pacific GP9 1st came out I failed to order it because it was not Tin Plate, however I recently backed up and purchased the Legacy GP9 from Barry's on line store.  Will run the new Legacy GP9 on the next Christmas layout.

My other mistake was putting the MTH Pittsburgh P2 Street Car, with Franks voice on it, into my SUV where it could be taken, I just re-aquired that P2 Street Car recently also.

I do try to correct my mistakes.

PCRR/Dave

 

The MTH tinplate O guage beer trains

I missed out on the GGD SP articulated passenger cars because I was not paying attention.

Mikey

A full set of SP Daylight and California Zephyr by K-line, the interior detail was fantastic, someday I will find a set to customize for my layout.

same here - I would have bought a few more.

Nothing major at this point. I used to have a big "want list" for things I either couldn't afford or didn't think I wanted when they came out, but that's been whittled down through later purchases and changed priorities. One thing I do regret missing out on is a few of the K-Line aluminum tank cars and hoppers. I have most of the ones I want, but I missed the Mopac hopper when Trainworld was blowing them out for $25, and I didn't get a red SP tank car when I had the chance. Now both of those cars are impossible to find and outrageously expensive when they do turn up. Likewise the 3-car set of Santa Fe polished hoppers. I managed to snag the two-car set a couple of years ago, but the the three-car is plated with Unobtanium. 

Lionel BSA ES44AC die cast.  Stupid expensive now.

 

 

I agree

I remeber trainworld blowing them out for 576 bucks.  Talk about being stupid and not buying one.  I bought the American flag one.  

A CNW RS1 that the guy from Berwyns was selling at the Wheaton show

And the MTH CNW red bay window caboose. I really want that caboose

Golden Gate Depot's B&O Heavyweights cars.  Couldn't purchased them as I had another 3rd Rail Item on reservation.  I have been watching eBay for a long time, and they never seem to come up for sale on the second-hand market.

 

Jim